10 presents for 10 years
by Laze0
Summary: Short romance. First FT fanfic. "Lucy. I'm sorry for disappearing for a month but I wanted to make this day special since it was your birthday and I didn't do anything for our ten year anniversary of when we first met." Lucy smiled, "I remember beating you up when I asked you if you knew what day it was and you ran to the bathroom with wide eyes and returned with a tampon."
1. Chapter 1

Lucy Heartphilia was worried. Her long-time friend and teammate and, as of the last six years, boyfriend Natsu Dragneel and their flying blue cat companion Happy left without a word to her almost a month ago. Gajeel Redfox and Gray Fullbuster had joined them.

Unlike the salamander, the two had returned two weeks ago, claiming that Natsu decided he needed to go the latter half of his mission alone. When Lucy had inquired about Natsu's whereabouts and well-being, the two had shrugged her off, pointing out Natsu's tendency of getting in and out of trouble. They would say nothing about the mission.

In all the years Lucy had known Natsu, he had never missed her birthday. Though the guild had thrown her a small celebration as per usual for the guild, she admittedly felt lonely without her pink haired idiot. That was why she was so happy when she saw a figure snoozing on her bed. At first she thought it may be a burglar but dismissed the idea of a burglar dumb enough to take a nap in her bed during the job.

As he crept closer, her heart skipped a beat looking at the curled form on her bed. She was tempted to wake him up to berate him for worrying her but decided to let him sleep.

She had just come out of the shower with a towel around her hair and another covering her body when arms wrapped themselves around her waist. Lucy let out a small gasp before she felt a face press itself into her hair.

"You smell good Luce," Natsu drawled, obviously just having awoken.

Lucy giggled, "Let me go. I need to put on some clothes."

Natsu frowned, "Why? I like you better this way."

"Natsuuuuu!" Lucy grunted as she wormed her way out of her boyfriend's embrace. Though she would love to stay this way for a while, she wanted to know where he went without telling her.

"Luuuuuucy!" Natsu shared her aggravation. He had been gone for a month give or take a few days. He wanted to sleep off his fatigue but he knew that he would never forgive himself if he didn't do this on her birthday. As Gray told him, "A moment's pain for a lifetime of happiness or a moment wasted and a lifetime of regret." Natsu thought that Gray had been spending too much time with Juvia lately.

"So," Lucy said as she dried her hair," where did you disappear to for the last month?"

"I was on a mission," Natsu shrugged as he plopped down onto her bed.

Lucy smacked him upside the head, "I know that dummy. I meant where were you for the last month? And where's Happy? He's always with you." Normally, she couldn't get rid of the cat even if she tried. Now the Exceed was nowhere to be found.

"Happy is at the guild. He wanted to see Charles," Natsu groaned as he got up and gave Lucy a peck on the lips and a quick hug, "C'mon get dressed. Let's go get something to eat."

Before Lucy could respond, he had walked out the door, into her living room. She sighed. She had some news to share with Natsu and now she will have to wait a little longer.

/

Dinner went well. In fact, for the first time, Natsu ate civilly and was well-mannered throughout their dinner. Granted, he still ate a ton of food but he also managed to have a conversation with her without spitting out chunks. Lucy can't help giggling when she remembered the faces of some of the other patrons when they saw Natsu putting away a week's worth of food.

After the dinner, Natsu surprised her by suggesting a walk through a park which she happily agreed to. Honestly, Natsu was not the most romantic boyfriend in the world. Then again, he was the only boyfriend she ever had but she read books. She imagined other guys were more romantic. Then again, Gray, Gajeel, and Laxus being romantic didn't seem likely…or pretty. Maybe it's only with Fairy Tail guys.

All these thoughts were running through her mind while she walked hand in hand with Natsu. Natsu, seeing her face scrunched up in that cute look when she was deep in thought, left her to her thoughts. When they arrived at a small pond where the full moon was shining overhead, Natsu motioned for her to sit down.

"Wait here for a sec Luce," Natsu said as he disappeared behind a tree. He returned with a pile of boxes.

"That's so sweet. Gimme," Lucy joked and stretched her hands out for him to give her the boxes.

Natsu grinned but shook his head no. Lucy gave him a cute pout and turned her cheek. Natsu grinned and pinned her before kissing her gently. Lucy sighed underneath him but he pulled back before he forgot about the speech he prepared. He worked too hard on this and now owed favors to way too many people to stop now.

Natsu groaned and got off her, "Lucy. I'm sorry for disappearing for a month but I wanted to make this day special since it was your birthday and I didn't do anything for our ten year anniversary of when we first met."

Lucy smiled, "I remember beating you up when I asked you if you knew what day it was and you ran to the bathroom with wide eyes and returned with a tampon."

He just sighed, "That was not a fun day for me. Your couch is cold Luce. Anyways, with some help, I was able to get these for you. Ten gifts for ten years. Here this is the first one."

Natsu handed Lucy a small white box with a ribbon tied on it. All the gifts were decorated in the same simple manner but this box was the smallest of the bunch. Her hands trembling from Natsu's thoughtfulness, Lucy opened the box to see a small sapphire brooch. It was beautifully crafted. A small blue stone rested on a thin gold plate. Though it didn't weigh much, Lucy could immediately tell that it was expensive.

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes, "N-Natsu. This. How could you afford this?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head with a wide grin on his face. He saw her look of delight and mentally thanked Mira for always making him put aside some of his reward money for a rainy day, "Luce, I'm not that bad with my money. I always have some jewels saved up. I blew it all on these gifts though."

"T-thank you. I don't know what to say," Lucy stammered.

"This will sound cheesy but I wanted each gift to represent something," Natsu's face turned a light pink.

"Oh? And what might this be?" Lucy teased.

Natsu looked her in the eyes and said seriously, "This-this small little brooch is how you look to me. Beautiful, deep, and something so precious I hope I'll never lose."

Lucy blushed at the confession, "N-Natsu."

Natsu continued and handed her a second box. This one was the size of a shoe box but whatever was in there was smaller. She quickly tore through the box to see a book. Natsu reached in and took it out.

"I went to Hibiki for this one. He suggested this and actually helped me get it. It's an enchanted notebook. You see this hand print on the front?" Natsu pointed to the print. Lucy nodded. "Let your magic flow into it and it will write down your thoughts for you. When you close it, the words will fade so no one besides you can read what's in it. When you want to reread what you wrote, just let your magic flow into it again. It's perfect for you to write your novel in right?"

Lucy was shocked. More than the first gift, the second was thoughtful, intelligent, and utterly sweet. Levy, Erza, Gray, and everyone else always dug through her stuff. Though she loved the feedback and the reviews, she wanted to be able to finish a chapter before anyone read it.

"You're smart Luce. You're one of the smartest people I know. I wanted to make sure you know that," Natsu kissed her cheek before handing her another small package.

The third gift was a silver key. Even without touching it Lucy could tell which spirit it belonged to and she loved him for it.

"I will make a contract with him later," she answered his questioning eyes when she didn't immediately take the key of the Canis Major and make a contract with it.

Natsu handed her a fourth box, thankful she didn't make a contract right now. He wanted to spend this time with her and her alone. The fourth box contained a silver bracelet with one charm. When Lucy looked closely at the bracelet, she can see her name _L-U-C-Y. _The single charm was a familiar symbol, the symbol of Fairy Tail.

When she looked at Natsu, he said, "So you will never forget who you are and where your home is. When you returned to us when you went to your dad and told us your story, you said that you are not just a daughter of the Heartfilia's but your own person."

"He remembered," Lucy thought as she held her knees to her chest after putting the bracelet on.

The next box contained a necklace with a small flame burning inside. Natsu said, "So you'll always have a part of me with you even if we're apart."

It was at the sixth and seventh gifts that Lucy was confused. One was a photo album that contained pictures of him, her, their friends, and their times together. Natsu flipped the book to the last page. All of the members had placed a message inside the album. It was a book of memories but she didn't understand why he paired this gift with what looked like a conch shell.

Seeing her confused face, Natsu held the shell to her ears, "The album is for reading. The conch is for listening. You know how we went to a beach and I picked up a few shells and we heard the sea in them. This isn't really a shell. It's a recorder shaped like a shell. Listen."

It wasn't a gentle tune. It wasn't heavy metal. There wasn't even any music but Lucy could swear time and time again that it was the most beautiful sound in the world. It was the sound of her beloved guild wishing her a happy birthday. Erza, Levy, Gray, Cana, Mirajane, and even Gajeel had left a message though Gajeel's was a "happy birthday" followed by a grunt and a curse directed at Natsu for making him do this. This was quickly followed by Levy's reprimand. For a girl half his size, Levy won more than her share of battles with her husband.

This was the first time in the gift giving that Lucy began to cry. Automatically, Natsu held her in his arms, worried that he hurt her somehow. More than any other gifts thus far has meant as much to her as these two did. An album that carried the memories of her friends and a shell that captured a beautiful moment and their well wishes. She didn't care if Natsu saw her cry or if he ever gave her anything else. For these two things, she will always love him.

"Thank you Natsu. Thank you," Lucy said in between sobs.

After her episode, Natsu handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears away. Then he joked, "man Lucy, you're so weird. Bawling because of a book and a shell."

Lucy punched him lightly on the arm, "Idiot."

Feeling that the mood was alright again, Natsu handed him the last box. Inside was a bouquet of flowers. Lucy has never seen such beautiful flowers before. They had the form of lilies. The petals were dark blue like the ocean depths. The center was a red almost like fire. The stem was a pure green brighter than grass. The leaves were green as well but had tinges of sky blue. They smelled more tantalizing than any flowers she had ever seen. In fact, she didn't even know such a flower could exist.

"It's called the Evermore flower. This is why I needed those guys to help. It took me three years just to find out a general location of the flower. This last month was the first time I've visited the cave that grew them. It's a flower protected in a place guarded by a labyrinth, licked by fire, chilled by ice, and hidden by mist. To get to it, I needed Gajeel's help with the labyrinth, Gray for the ice, and Gerald for the mist," Natsu rambled.

"Gerald helped?" Lucy asked. Though they had made peace with the members of Crime Sorciere, the trio of former dark mages hadn't stopped traveling to atone for their crimes. "How did you find him?"

"I asked Erza," Natsu shrugged.

"Of course. But Natsu," Lucy began, "Why so much trouble for these flowers specifically?"

"They are flowers that can survive in any climate or place but only scatter their seeds and bloom every hundred years. Then they stay that way for other twenty or so years before dying and leaving behind a seed that's exactly like it. That's why they're called Evermores. At least, that's what Elfman told me when I said I wanted a super special flower to give you. Did you know he is into flowers?" Natsu asked.

Lucy shook her head, "No but that may explain why Evergreen and him are a couple. Fairies are said to live around flowers."

Natsu laughed, "Maybe."

Some minutes passed before Lucy looked up at Natsu, still in his arms, "Natsu?"

"Hm?" he grunted.

"You said ten gifts. What are the last two?" Lucy asked.

Natsu chuckled, "I gave you eight gifts but you want more. Women."

This time Lucy punched him in the gut with all her might causing the young dragonslayer to roll over in pain. Lucy regretted her action a little bit when Natsu stopped moving but made no attempt to go near her. She laid down next to him, his back still turned to her. "Are you mad at me Natsu? I'm sorry."

Still no reply. "Natsu!" Lucy yelled.

He shifted a little but made no attempt to talk to her.

Now Lucy was getting angry. She stood up and towered over him. Before she could do anything, Natsu tackled her into the pond. She went under for a second before sitting up and gasping for air. "Natsu. You little-"

Natsu was laughing wholeheartedly, "You should see the look on your face Luce."

Lucy felt her anger dissipate at the sound of his laugh and started giggling at how he looked with a piece of greenery in his hair. Giggles turned into laughter. Soon they were both laughing, their previous bad mood gone.

"Luce," Natsu called her name. Lucy turned to him.

"The first gift represented your physical beauty. The second your mental beauty. The third gift about your spiritual beauty, the beauty that expands beyond Earthland to the Spirit world, Edolas, whatever. The fourth gift is so you'll always remember who you are and that you always have a home with Fairy Tail, with me. The fifth gift was to show you that no matter how far apart we are, I will be there. The sixth gift showed you how loved you are not just by me but by all our friends. The seventh gift is your past, the memories we shared together. The flowers are an eternal memory of now, our present," Natsu went through the speech he had prepared.

"This," Natsu reached into his pocket, brought out a small black velvet box, and opened it, revealing a ring," represents my promise to you for the future. I may not be much or have much but I love you Lucy Heartphilia. I promise to remain by your side forever if you'll allow me."

This set off another episode of tears. Natsu felt a pain through his chest. Tears were not a good sign. Bracing himself for rejection, he was surprised by Lucy tacking him. He caught her and held her close.

Six years, maybe even longer, Lucy had wanted Natsu to say those words. Those sweet, beautiful words she was worried she would never hear from Natsu especially with her news. It took Levy seven years with Gajeel. It took Juvia four years with Gray.

"Yes. Yes. A million times yes," Lucy shouted just in case the man right in front of her can't hear her.

Natsu just held her to him not believing this could happen.

When they finally disentangled, Lucy felt she had to share her news with him. However, she was worried that he wouldn't like it, "Natsu. I-I'm pregnant."

Natsu held her hand tighter, "I know."

Lucy was taken aback, "W-What? How?"

Natsu scratched his head, "Dragonslayers and dragons, according to Igneel, can sense and smell when someone is pregnant. He also said pregnant women have mood swings that are even scarier than when a woman is at her time of the month."

"So you're not mad? You want this baby?" Lucy asked.

Natsu looked fierce, "Wait. Do you?"

Lucy held her hands in front of her, "Of course I do but do you?"

Natsu nodded.

"I am so relieved. I-I was so worried," Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Natsu kissed her deeply, "You're gonna be a great mom."

"And you'll be a great dad," Lucy smiled.

"That's the tenth gift you know. A gift for us both," Natsu said.

"And it's the best gift of all," Lucy laughed as she pulled him in for another kiss.

Omake

"Stop pushing you idiots," Gajeel snarled.

"Oh quiet down Gajeel," Levy snapped, "Aww, they're kissing."

"You know I made that ring for him right?" Gajeel said.

"Shut up lizard boy," Gray said, "He'll hear us."

"You picking a fight stripper?" Gajeel snapped.

"Stop it!" Erza hissed.

"Hah. I win the bet," Cana laughed.

"I knew he would propose," Mirajane sighed.

"Should we really be spying?" Laxus asked.

Mira nodded, "It's our duty to watch the kids grow up."

"More like stalking," Laxus muttered.

"What did you say?" Mira asked.

"Nothing dear," Laxus quickly replied.

"Oh my god. They're coming over," Macao said.

"Dragon ears idiots. Scatter!" Gerald hissed as he pulled Erza with him and they disappeared.

"How did he not notice us earlier?" Gajeel asked as he lifted Levy onto his shoulders and ran.

Levy explained, "Gerald used illusions to hide us."

"Then how'd he spy us?" Gajeel asked.

"Who knows? You wanna go back and ask them?" Levy asked.

Gajeel snorted, "Hell no. You see what happens when someone interrupts a dragon and their mate?"

* * *

Tell me if you want their wedding or married life.

Also tell me if its good or not plz.

So basically review it.


	2. Chapter 2

Well it's been about a year and first I would like to thank all the people that have read this story especially to those that reviewed. I would list everyone but I am kinda just slightly lazy so my apologies. -_- This is the sequel covering the bachelor party and the wedding. HOWEVER, I do not think this is as good as the previous chapter. I tried a mixture of comedy and drama in this wedding chapter but it is difficult for me to see if it worked as well as it might have if I had seperated the parts. Oh well. Thus, if you don't want to ruin your opinion of this story by reading this new chapter, then don't and I will not be insulted. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. It's still decently good though. ^.^

Disclaimer- I don't own Fairy Tail but this story I do... as much as I can.

* * *

It was amazing how old you feel when you give away your child at a wedding. It was amazing how old you feel as you pat the arm of the lovely bride, whispering words of assurance to her, before leaving her to face the man she was going to marry. Makarov felt old.

This would be the third time he gave away a child of Fairy Tail. Coincidentally, all three times the brides and grooms were members of his little guild. However happy he felt for his guild members, three weddings was putting a strain on the Fairy Tail budget.

Unbeknownst to most people outside of the guild, Makarov had set aside a large sum of money in the event that any of his guild members ever find the person they love but may need a little help financially to get along. Makarov knew a portion of the guild had no relatives they can rely on so he had ensured that every year, from the income that the guild received a small portion would be put aside for what he called "the wedding funds". Over the years this amount had become quite large but with the strain of two soon to be three weddings, the fund was soon becoming quite empty. However, he promised himself that he would ensure their happiness even if it puts him in a tighter spot and he would see to it that Lucy and Natsu have their fairy tale wedding if he had to pay for it himself. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Natsu trembled with fear and dread. Never before in his life has he ever felt such anxiety from what he was about to do. He had fought Zeref. He had helped in the defeat of Acnologia. He even got up the guts to propose to Lucy with something so sickeningly sweet that Gajeel said "It made me want to rip out my heart and stomp on it."

But, looking Lucy in the eye and saying what he was about to say he felt that his life may be coming to an end soon, "Um. Luce. Uh. The guys and I uh."

Lucy looked confused, "Spit it out Natsu."

Natsu stammered, "Um. The guys think that- not me- uh Ishouldhaveabachelorparty."

"Huh? Sure Natsu," Lucy replied before going back to her book.

Natsu's jaw went slack, "Uh. Luce?"

"What?" Lucy snapped. She was getting to the good part of the book Levy lent her.

"Did you hear me?" Natsu asked.

Lucy sighed and got up from her desk, placing a bookmark between the pages. She turned, faced her husband-to-be, placed her arms around his shoulders, and said in a firm voice, "You can have your bachelor party. I know it's a week before the wedding and you need the stress relief as well. I'll have a girl's night out with Erza and the others or something."

Natsu was stunned. He expected his life to end or at the very least the inability to walk from the kick he expected but she was being so nice about this. He lifted her up and gave her a long kiss before putting her down and headed for the door.

"Oh but Natsu?" Lucy cheerfully said as his hand touched the doorknob.

"Yes Luce," Natsu grinned. It faded as soon as he turned around though.

"I trust you're smart enough to not touch anything?" Lucy was still smiling.

Natsu gulped, "Yes dear."

For the bachelor party, the guys had rented a room in one of the fancier hotels in town. The room had a flat screen television, a large sofa, two desks and chairs, a mini-fridge, and even a fully stocked bar. However, the guys had brought their own liquor, not wanting to add to the expensive hotel bill they will have to face come morning.

"Still can't believe Lucy let you out," Gajeel said as he took a swig of tequila.

"I can't believe Levy let you out," Natsu snickered, "After what happened last time."

Gajeel's face darkened, "Never talk about what happened Salamander."

"Still get nightmares?" Gray taunted.

Gajeel downed the rest of the bottle of liquor, "Every night."

The others laughed in memory of that night. Gerald shook his head, "Well that's why we're going simple with Natsu's. Just hanging out, drinking shots, and strippers."

Gray choked on his beer, "Wait strippers?"

Gerald nodded, "Problem?"

"Let me make this easy for you to understand. We like our parts. We like strippers. Our wives don't. Add strippers. Lose parts. We can't have people take their clothes off here," Gray explained.

Gerald looked stunned, "Wow. Talk about irony."

Laxus nodded in agreement. Gray looked indignant, "Look. It's a bad idea okay? Natsu agrees right?"

"Uhhhh," Natsu didn't want to get into this.

"It's fine. They won't find out. We won't do anything. Besides, Loke said these girls were top of the line if you know what I mean," Gerald explained.

Gajeel snapped, "Easy for you to say. You're not married yet. Neither is Laxus. The three of us are dead though."

Natsu frowned, "Wait. Where is Loki?"

Now Laxus frowned, "Yeah. That's right. He knew about this. Actually where is everyone else?"

Gray got up and looked around, "Something smells fishy."

"Sure it's not your new deodorant?" Gajeel pointed at the half naked Gray. At some point he had taken off his shirt.

Gray shook his head, "No. I feel weird. Was there something in the drinks?"

Now it was Gajeel's turn to shake his head, "Me and Laxus bought these ourselves. Now that you mention it though, there is a pit in my stomach."

"Like a black hole," Gerald added.

"I think we-" Natsu was cut off by the knocking on the hotel room door.

A high pitched voice rang out, "Helloooo good sirs. I am Evaroo, the proprietor of these beautiful women that have been hired to bring you all into a wonderful place."

Gray paled, "Uh. I'm coming."

Natsu looked around, "What are we going to do?"

"Let's see what's going to happen," Laxus shrugged, though he too seemed to be uncomfortable.

Gray slowly walked to the door and opened it. Then just as quickly he slammed the door and ran for cover behind the sofa.

"What's wrong? What did you see? Was it the girls?" Laxus gripped Gray by the shirt and brought him to eye level. He could see the fear in the ice mage's eyes.

"T-they're here," Gray's teeth were chattering, "W-we have t-to leave."

"Who's here?" Laxus's complexion paled.

Suddenly the door was kicked in and a heavy-set man in a suit walked in. He was grossly overweight but he had strangely thin legs. He wore an ugly toupee that seemed taped to the back of his head. When the dust settled, the other guys saw what Gray had seen. Five of the ugliest women they had ever seen walked through the door. In each of the five, the men were able to see something that made them want to hurl.

Natsu said in a frantic whisper, "What are we going to do?"

He turned to Laxus who looked like he was about to enter a fight. Gray was bent over and praying for Ur to watch over him. Gajeel's mouth was open in shock and he was shaking in terror. Hoping Gerald had a plan to get them out of this, Natsu searched for their blue haired companion but he was nowhere to be found.

Natsu couldn't help but chuckle, "H-He left. Ha. Ha. Hah."

Evaroo bent in a weird position and scrutinized Natsu, "You look familiar. Hmm. Well no matter. So you're the groom? We heard there were five people but seem like you'll just get two dances you lucky boy."

Natsu ran for the door but he was stopped by the heaviest girl there.

She smiled a toothy smile and leaned into Natsu's face. Natsu quickly covered his mouth. He could see the rot in her teeth and smell the rancid breath coming from her.

Natsu felt absolutely horrified when she shoved him onto one of the chairs and said in an unsuccessful attempt to make her voice sultry, "I make you feel gooooood now."

Before he blacked out, Natsu saw Laxus's fists sparking electricity as he fought off the gorilla trying to hold him. Gray was in the corner franticly trying to keep his clothes on while a scarecrow was ripping them off. Gajeel was a statue. He turned his entire body into steel but it was to no avail. When the wench breathed in his ear, his concentration failed and Natsu can see the terror in his eyes. Before the dragonslayers fainted, they looked into each other's eyes and nodded their agreement.

Loke was dead.

On that same night, at the same time, the girls were having a bachelorette party of their own. Unlike the guys though, they opted to just have some girl time in Erza's bedroom and talk about everything that is happening or as Lucy put it, a Friday night.

"So Lucy. Are you ready for the wedding?" Mirajane asked.

Lucy groaned, "There are so many things I still have to do. I still need to pick out the tux for Natsu. I need to choose the flowers. I need to make sure everyone got their invitations."

"Is Natsu helping you?" Erza asked.

The other girls took one look at Erza and then burst out laughing.

Erza looked confused, "Did I say something funny?"

"Erza. When you have your wedding, you'll understand why there is no way I'm letting Natsu do anything. His job is to get up on stage on time and say 'I do'," Lucy laughed.

"Speaking of Erza's wedding," Mira interjected, "when is it?"

Erza looked down and toyed with her pajamas, "I don't know. Gerald never asked me."

The others looked at her in surprise, "Huh?"

Levy was the first to express her surprise, "Uh what do you mean Erza? Gerald has asked you many times."

Erza shook her head, "No he didn't."

"She's serious," Juvia gasped, "Even Juvia can tell though."

"Erza. Were there ever any awkward moments?" Lucy asked.

Erza shrugged, "Of course. Just yesterday he fell to his knee and I picked him up right away before anyone saw. He seemed sad when I did it though so I'm worried I offended him or something."

Lucy's mouth made an 'o', "Why? Why did you do that?"

"His trick knee gave out so I helped him. Did I do something wrong?" Erza asked.

Mira giggled, "I think we have a new game to play."

"Ooh good idea Mira," Levy clapped her hands together.

All the girls had a glint in their eyes as Erza slowly backed away. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

_Come morning_

"Luuuuuuuuuucccccyyyyy!"

Lucy heard her name being called but before she can turn, a heavy body tackled her to the ground.

Lucy blushed when she saw Natsu's head pressed into the center of her chest, "Natsu. What-"

"Please tell me you'll stay as you are! That you won't change!" Natsu stated.

"Natsu! What are-" Lucy stopped as he held her tighter, "Okay. Okay. I promise. Sheesh. What happened last night?"

Natsu's face turned deathly white, "I never want to remember. Last night never happened."

"Erza is something wrong?" Gerald asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Erza said as she clung to him like a lost puppy.

Gerald was startled, "About what?" his brow furrowed, "Did something happen last night?"

Erza quickly shook her head, "No no. I just realized what an idiot I was."

Taking a look around, she saw Natsu clinging to Lucy, the latter struggling to break free. She saw Gray clutching tightly to Juvia and, by the look of the water mage's red face, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She saw Laxus being consoled by Mirajane, as the former, covered in wounds, drank his fifth barrel of alcohol. She glanced at Gajeel, laid flat against the ground, eyes dead to the world, as a panicking Levy tried to pry him off the floor.

"What happened last night?" Erza asked curiously.

Gerald shook his head, "Let's just say when they arrived I left."

Erza's eyes darkened, "Who arrived?"

Gerald's eyes flashed panic before quickly saying, "No one important. No one important."

After the disaster that was the bachelor party, Natsu and company recovered albeit slowly. Three days before the wedding however, Lucy received a strange, small blue box with a red ribbon tied on top of it. It said "For Lucy, From Igneel."

Lucy was shocked for Igneel and the other dragons had departed this world after the events of the Dragon King Selection. Igneel was granted the seat of dragon king with Grandine as his counselor. Igneel felt that there was no longer a need for dragons in this world and decided it was for the best that the dragons departed for humanity to move forward. Lucy knew he and the other dragon parents had made their farewells with their dragon child shortly after the final battle. However, she has no idea why Igneel sent her this box though.

Cautiously and patiently, Lucy opened the box to see a small fang the size of her thumb. She gently took it out of the box and turned it around in her hands, trying to see if there is any significance in it. Within the packaging, she extracted a small note.

It read, "_The fang of a dragon determines the mate. Discard your desire and let it abate. If glow of the fang is void its light. Seek another lest your future you fight."_

Lucy had no idea what that message could mean. She replaced the fang into the box and took it and the message to Levy, in hopes the bookworm can decode the cryptic message.

"I think this letter is saying that if the fang doesn't glow in the dragon mate's hands, the dragon should seek another or there will be some kind of catastrophe," Levy said apologetically.

Lucy frowned, "Did you get this Levy?"

Levy shook her head, "Not that I could remember. Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about Levy. It's not your fault," Lucy smiled.

Levy nodded her head sadly, almost as if she had something to say but couldn't, "So does it work?"

Lucy gave a pained expression, "No. I have no idea what I am supposed to do. Does this mean Natsu and I aren't meant to be?" she looked down, "What if being with me will only hurt him like the time with Dark Phantom?"

Levy stroked her head, "Lucy. No one blames you for that, least of all Natsu," she pulled her best friend into a hug," Everything will be okay."

"Thanks Levy," Lucy tried to smile but her stomach was in knots.

_The Day of the Wedding_

"Lucy," Natsu yelled, "Are you ready yet? Can I come in?"

Lucy snapped, "No. I told you already Natsu. It's bad luck. Now go away."

Natsu scratched his head as Gray led him away, "Sheesh. She's been on edge lately. I wonder what's wrong."

"Lucy. You have to tell him," Mira said kindly.

"It will be for the best," Levy added.

Lucy shook her head and cried, "Why? We could be so happy together. We'll have 2 kids, live in a nice house, play board games every Friday night, my daughter will hate me when she becomes a teenager, my son will run away at least twice, and Natsu will burn down the house every other month. It'll be perfect so why do I have to ruin that by doing the right thing?"

Tears were running down her face now, her makeup ruined by the tears. Erza quickly went to comfort her, "Shhh. Don't cry Lucy. You look so beautiful today. Whatever you do we'll stand by you."

Lucy did look beautiful. Her makeup aside, she looked stunning. Her hair flowed freely down with two elegant but tasteful silver chains adorning her hair. A small flower of the Evermore was tied to her hair. Like its namesake, the flower still thrived even with its stem cut off. Her dress was long and white as was typical of wedding dresses. However, its appearance was closely related to a ball gown. It was a shoulder length dress so her hair could cascade down and frame her appearance. Her figure was accentuated. Her curves were flattered but not overly so. The baby bump, though visible, was tastefully hidden by the dress.

At the bottom of the dress were three layers of frills that wrapped around the dress. These frills and the single sapphire broach pinned to the right breast were the only decorative part of the dress so that its wearer may be the center of attention. On her neck she wore the necklace Natsu had given her to say he would always be with her. On her wrist, she wore the bracelet that Natsu had given her to remember her time at Fairy Tail. On her ring finger was that beautifully crafted ring that reminded her of that night Natsu proposed. Half of her outfit was a gift from Natsu and she hated him for making her feel so terrible about the situation.

No matter how beautiful she may look, Lucy couldn't fight the gnawing sensation that was growing stronger and stronger as the final bells tolled, signaling the coming of an end and the coming of a new beginning. All Lucy felt was a strong emptiness and a strong disdain of herself as she took one final glance in the mirror and put on her simple white veil.

At the gate, she could see Makarov greeting her with a smile. The dwarflike old man wore an old suit that looked like he never bought another one and was grinning broadly from cheek to cheek. Seeing his smile, Lucy tried to smile back but she knew her smile was not as big as she would have liked. Makarov sensed this and asked her what was wrong.

She loved him for asking that question and offering her another way out but she just shook her head and said she was alright. He looked skeptical and appraised her carefully but offered her his arm and regained that big toothy smile as he began to walk her down the aisle. She loved him for agreeing to walk her down the aisle but even more so for not prodding her for more information.

Damn Igneel for making her question this. Damn her friends and Makarov for not dismissing the idea and leaving her with a choice. Damn Natsu for standing there and looking so happy in that wonderful black and white suit that he somehow didn't destroy in the last hour.

"But no, that's wrong," Lucy thought as she reached the end where Natsu was waiting. The priest was reading the words now. She couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry." Those two words she spoke carved a hole in Natsu's chest as he watched her run away. But he won't let it end this way.

He ran after her.

"Lucy what's wrong?" Natsu cried out as he managed to catch up to her.

Turning to face him as he held onto her wrist, Lucy said, "I'm sorry. I should have told you this sooner but I was so scared. So scared you would reject me."

Natsu could see the tears flowing down her face and it pained him to see her in this way but he had to know what happened, "What should you have told me?"

Lucy was sniffling, trying to contain her tears but failing, "I-Igneel s-sent a p-p-package a couple o-of days ago."

Reaching into her dress, she pulled out the fang. She had punctured it, made it into a necklace, so she could show it to Natsu when she had worked up the courage. She was only sorry she couldn't do it sooner.

By now her tears had stopped and her hiccups were more controllable, "This was supposed to light up if I was your d-destined mate but it doesn't so if you're with me you'll face hardship and I don't want that if I'm the cause. We aren't meant for each other and-"

She never finished the sentence. Natsu had grabbed the fang and crushed it in his hands. He angrily snapped, "I don't care about some kind of magical fang! A tooth isn't going to tell me what to feel especially not on how I should feel about you Luce. I thought you knew me better but I guess not."

He turned his back on her.

She immediately embraced his back and cried anew, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

She apologized again and again. He felt her tears soak his newly bought suit but he didn't care. She was crying because of his dad and now he was making her cry. Damn it. He doesn't want this.

He turned to her, the last of the fang finally falling to the ground, free of the tight and angry grip he had on the remnants, and he kissed her, gently at first and then rougher. He needed to feel her, to hear her say she needed him.

Breaking apart, he said to her, "Come what may. I will always be here. Now come on. We have a wedding to finish."

He smiled at her and for the first time in the last few days she smiled back a real smile.

"Uh sorry about that everyone. I was feeling terrible. Maybe something I ate," Lucy joked.

The minister sighed, "Well if everyone is ready, let's continue where we left off with the exchange of the vows. Miss Lucy?"

Lucy took a half step forward and placed both her hands in Natsu's and began to speak the words that surfaced from the depths of her heart.

"Natsu. When we first met I thought you were an idiot but as time went on I realized that I was right," the crowd laughed at that, "But as we spent more and more time together, I realized that there was so much I didn't know before or never experienced before. Every day I spent with you was like a dream whenever I thought of the life I had been living before meeting you. You taught me the importance of having people to rely on and who rely on you, how I can be something more than what people thought I could be, and reminded me the wonderfulness of having a family again."

Tears started falling down her face but the smile she had never faded, "Slowly but surely you wormed your way into a special place in my heart. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I had already fallen in love with you. I love you Natsu Dragneel and I want to be able to say this to you every day for the rest of our lives together."

Natsu looked a bit choked up himself as she finished but he ran through with the speech he had prepared, "Lucy Heartfilia. Since the day I've met you, I haven't been able to take my eyes off you. At first you were only a new comrade for me but as time went on I slowly started to feel something more. I denied it at first with practical jokes and fights but before I knew it, the reason I did those stupid things was because I loved the sound of your laughter. Your laugh became music more beautiful than anything I have ever heard before or since. Your cries make my heart ache. If you would have me, for the rest of my life, I would hear your laughter and drown your cries. I love you Luce regardless of what may come our way. I promise we will always be together and I always keep my promises."

"Natsu Dragneel. Do you take Lucy Heartfilia to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" the priest asked.

Natsu squeezed her hands and gave a toothy smile, "I do."

"And do you Lucy Heartfilia, take Natsu Dragneel to have and to hold, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?" the priest asked Lucy.

Lucy smiled back, "I do even if the world falls apart."

"If anyone shall wish to oppose this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest declared.

After a momentary silence, the priest continued, "Now the exchanging of the rings."

The pair took hold of the other's hand and placed a matching silver band embedded with a garnet for Natsu and a ruby for Lucy on each other's hand.

"By the power invested in me by the Holy, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the priest finished.

Natsu bent down and Lucy met him as the two shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Soon after the wedding, Levy walked over to Lucy and handed her a small box. Lucy raised an eyebrow at the gift wrapped box until she noticed it was the exact same as the one she received from Igneel.

Levy looked apologetic, "I'm sorry Lucy but it is a custom of the dragon race to test the bond between their child and the mate. Igneel sent me a message to give this box to you after the wedding and to not mention anything. I am really sorry. I know how hard it must have been for you."

Lucy looked indignant, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Levy made a placating gesture, "I'm sorry but Igneel and Metallicana both said how important of a tradition it was for the mate and the dragon to go through this test," her tone softened, "If the two could not stay together because of a trinket then the parents do not wish to see anyone suffer more than they have to."

"Wait. Didn't you have to go through this then? When I asked you said no," Lucy jabbed her finger at Levy.

Levy sighed and rubbed her temple, "I was sworn to secrecy and I knew everything would work out if you just confronted Natsu right away like I tried to make you do. I knew you two really cared for each other. My heart skipped a beat and my stomach churned when I saw you run out like that. It was such a relief when you two came back and I knew you told him. Are we still friends?"

"No!" Lucy turned her head.

Levy grabbed onto Lucy's leg and gave her a puppy dog look, "Lu-chan…"

Lucy giggled and helped her friend up, "I'm kidding Levy. I love you too much to hate you for not telling me. But," Lucy's eyes darkened, "If you do something like that again, I'll burn all your books."

Levy looked terrified at the notion, "Don't worry. No more secrets."

"By the way, how did your test end?" Lucy asked, "You never seemed distracted like me during your wedding."

Levy giggled, "Well, the day the package came, I immediately confronted Gajeel and told him about it. He asked if there was some way to make it glow. I said I didn't know so he just took the fang, walked outside, and hurled the fang into the air. Then he asked me what's for dinner."

Lucy laughed, "I can just imagine him doing that."

Levy nodded, "Yes and I loved him for it just like how you must love Natsu."

Lucy nodded in agreement, "Yeah. We both got lucky didn't we?"

They both turned to look at their husbands at each other's throats before Erza walked by and knocked them both down onto the ground before returning to her cake.

"We sure are lucky," Lucy said with a grimace.

Levy giggled her agreement.

Lucy held the small box higher to her ear and tried to see if she can make out what's in it, "What's inside?"

"It's a message that you should both see after the wedding… and before the honeymoon," Levy gave a Cheshire grin and poked Lucy with her elbow.

Lucy blushed, "I know that. Now let's see if Natsu can dance without crushing my toes."

He didn't.

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow," Lucy yelped as Natsu placed her feet slowly in a bucket of ice.

Natsu looked sorry the whole time, "I am reaaaaaaaaally sorry Luce."

Lucy glared at him before pulling out the small box, "Don't worry. We'll take some dance classes with Levy and Gajeel and you'll be a good dancer in no time."

Natsu didn't look like the idea was appealing at all, "Sure. What's in the box?"

Lucy told him to sit beside her on the bed. They would go on their honeymoon starting tomorrow but for tonight they would just lay together as husband and wife. "It's a message from Igneel."

Natsu's ears perked up and he quickly joined his wife on the bed. Lucy opened the box to reveal a small crystal no bigger than her ear. She crushed it in her hands and a mist arose from the shattered remains of the crystal, enveloping the couple.

Igneel's voice started to sound all around them, "Congratulations you two on your marriage. I'm sorry for putting you two through the test. I am especially sorry to you Lucy. I know you're a good woman and probably better than my son deserves but as his father I needed to make sure you will both stand by each other's side no matter what happened. Natsu has been through a lot and I wanted to make sure he knew there was someone by his side he can confide in even when I'm not around.

"One day I hope I can see you both again. Natsu, I am so proud of you and I can never tell you just what you mean to me. Lucy. I leave my son in your care. I know he is hardheaded and stubborn but I hope you can find it in your heart to love him regardless. There is a lot more I wish to say to both of you but we will meet again. Our last meeting was not a goodbye. The next time I see you two, I hope to have a lot of grandchildren. Until then, stay safe. I wish you both all the happiness you deserve."

The mist subsided leaving the couple alone in their home.

"Well Lucy, you heard the man. He wants grandchildren," Natsu grinned as he pushed his wife flat on the bed.

Lucy laughed, "Natsu! He didn't mean right now."

Natsu didn't pay a heed to her words as he bent down and gave her a kiss which she happily accepted.

Omake

Though Lucy liked Gerald and Erza together as a couple and was one of the people most irritated by her friend's thick-headedness, Lucy couldn't help but be peeved by the blue haired man in front of her.

"Now Lucy, you know the plan right?" Gerald asked for the fiftieth time.

Lucy looked irritated but gave him a curt nod, "Yes Gerald. Throw the bouquet at Erza. She'll see the ring. Take it out. You'll walk to her and propose. I got it okay?"

Gerald nodded and began walking away before turning back one last time and asking, "Are you su-"

He quickly ducked from the heel that Lucy threw at him.

When it was time to throw the bouquet, Lucy glanced over her shoulders to see where Erza was. To her delight, she saw that Erza was in the back of the crowd so if she threw it right behind her, the only girl close by would be Erza.

It was foolproof.

Erza smiled as she saw the bouquet slowly come towards her. She reached out her arms to catch the bundle of flowers when suddenly a shadow plucked it out from the air. She turned her head to see who had grabbed it before her.

Lucy and Gerald looked in horror as they saw Evergreen leap into the air and snatched the bouquet before Erza could catch it.

Evergreen taunted Erza, "Hohoho. Better luck next time Erza. Hm? What's this?"

She gingerly plucked the small box taped to the inside of the bouquet and opened it. She gasped when she saw a beautiful ruby ring sitting inside the velvet box. As she was getting over her shock, she saw Gerald grab the box from her hand and walk away. Horrified, she realized she had just ruined a proposal.

Erza watched the exchange dumbfounded until she realized what had happened. As Evergreen tried to sneak away, she felt a chill run down her spine as Erza placed a strong grip on her shoulder.

"I think we need a talk outside Evergreen," Fairy Tail's Titania coldly said.

Evergreen screamed in terror.

Omake 2

"No!" Mirajane said as she walked away from a stunned Laxus who was holding a bouquet of flowers.

Laxus got up off his knee and chased after her. He turned her body so she faced him. He growled, "What do you mean by 'no'?"

Mira placed both of her hands on her hips and snapped, "Getting down on one knee with flowers and a ring and saying 'Babe. I get a charge out of you. Sparks fly when we are together. Marry me.' is not a proposal. It's not creative. You didn't put any effort into it. It's just downright lazy."

Now Laxus was getting angry. He pulled her into a tight embrace and said, "Hey! I put a lot of work into that line."

Mira scoffed, "Maybe if you take your headphones off for once you can hear what you are saying. I'm saying I want something dramatic that shows that you care."

Laxus gave her a passionate kiss that made her toes curl and softly whispered in her ear as he let her go, "I do care. That's why I'm asking you to marry me. Do you really need me to do some kind of extravagant proposal to see that?"

Mira drew small circles on his chest before looking up at him with a smile. As a smile was forming on his face, she giggled and jabbed him right in the center, "Yes."

As Laxus watched Mira skip away, he groaned to himself, "Great. Let's see if Gerald has any ideas I can rip off."

* * *

Well that's it folks. I'm thinking about writing a sequel to this as well but it seems morbid in comparison to these two as far as I can tell so i may not write it.

Leave me a review or a flame plz. It's always nice to know where I can improve but I do have a slight, ver minor actually, tendency to not respond so leave all your hate or love in one review would be nice.


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